Chapter 52: The Flower Knight Swore Revenge!
"Ah-uh...uh...what am I supposed to make of this...?"
Rarely does anyone whimper for flowers lost like Selene did now. Those who do are either the mostly hopelessly romantic Druid, or Druid with stubborn old age remembering tales instead of beauties in flowers. Commonality? They are all mostly Druids, and Selene, as a Druid who couldn’t leave her leisure time without a shoujo novel or manga (that Demond has supplied her), merely saw an encircling black tar pooling around the barren soils, among the glitters of icy dusts and embered ashes that sprayed all over the wastelands, serving as petals fallen among the divine scenery of destruction. What few plants remained were the only witness of the miraculous duality that was thorned ice in a collesium of fire, if only it weren’t for the cost of their breatherens.
"Why...? Jessie....Pessie....even Tessie too..."
Naming flowers was a ridiculed and disrespected ritual against the sancity for the flower’s original name, and Selene childishly defied them all, only to kneel amongst the charred soils, the price of dodging Adil’s scowl or Demond’s groan to find an actual friend instead of a plant to talk with crashing down upon Selene. Her palms slapped the soil as she bundled them up, desperate to sculpt out any petals, leaves or vines that was inhumanely buried, but after piling up only scratches instead of ’corpses’ of her friend, a sob of helplessness escaped from her throat before her innocent face that despereately strained against itself, finally crumbled and wept like a child, the sorrowful weeping in the gust would even put the weeping Vampire Soverign into shame, wondering what manners of grand betrayal has unfolded before the girl.
It was said that the duty of naming children was usually given to the mother, so it can be stated here that the mother had her children burnt to a crisp in an over-the-top parade that warranted an elephant’s stomp of approval, as Demond would elegantly put it before laughing out loud at the child’s outburst. Selene bared her teeth as she whimpered, her ears almost echoing uncle Demond’s ’demon-like’ smugness as she happily trampled upon her bed of ’babies’. Imagination runs wild as Jessie’s lone rosery red stood tall against the raging blizzard, Pessie’s fiery sangaze glared against the evil grinning witch, and Tessie’s solemn last petals fell against the cold, hardened soil that used to house her roots. Their valiant, desperate last stand only made her cry harder, La Llorona, ever the merciful vampire even against humanity, almost instinctively reached out with a tissue paper, as unlike hers, this was a weeping that seemed to last an eternity.
How dare she?! They were her friends! Her only...friends. The depressing reality slipped into the frustrated heart of the maiden, as Selene heaved, heaved again, took a deep breath, before crying her eyes out again in a brutal fashion, La Llorona’s rune scathing right beside her, nodding at the professional weepings that would outdo even she herself, before scribbliing notes in her soul ’how to weep properly with elegance and precision in three steps - Step 1, never stop crying. Step 2, let your snot run down like a waterfall. Step 3, open your mouth aloud and enjoy the ride.’
"Kuh hic....hic...ah...Tessie...you were the only who understood my love for being a bottom character...." Selene’s tearful eyes closed in solemness, the tragedy that would have kickstarted her hero’s journey in 3 acts of solitude, the only ending being brutally shoved aside by an annoyed Dragon Queen.
Yet even the hero demands redemption! Struggle! Defiance! And as Uncle Demond always told her: Find an enemy you can’t beat? Throw your teammates at them! Her passionate speech for this ’meatshield’ tactic had the young her once gasping in terror, though she did recall a greiving undertone beneath the old man’s voice....wait no no no, no sympathy for the enemy! She must purge! Kill! Uh...try not to die or get flung into the air again! She had enough of Demond’s bullying, and she would finally retaliate!
"Alright!" Selene scratched palms slapped her own cheeks as she stood with a newfound resolve, her throat still hoarse, her snot remained stilled rivers and her watery eyes undried, yet none could stand before the child’s...well, the mom’s vengance for her children’s unfair death!